Diving apparatus.



B. NIEHOFF.

DIVING APPARATUS.

APPIIJIGATION FILED JUNE 7, 1911; RENEWED NOV 1,099,814.

. 12, 1913. Patented June 9, 1914.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- ERNEST NIEHOFF, 0F ROANOKE, VIRGINIA,ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO ROANOKE WRECKING ROANQKE,VIRGINIA.

& SALVAGE COMPANY, -INC., 0F

Application med time 1,1911, Serial Io. 631,765.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ERNEST Nmnorr, a. citizenof the United States, residing at :Roanoke, in the county of Roanoke endState of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inDiving'Appcratus; and I do hereby declare the fOllOWAII to be a full,clear, and exact description 0? the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethesame. This invention rehntes to improvements in diving suits orapparatus, and particularly to improved diving apparatus which willpermit a person to'opera'te in extreme depths of water if desired.

' he object in view is the arrangement of an improved diving suit ordress arranged to permit the diver to operate in extreme depths of waterand use only a small pressure of air while so operatin' A. stilltux-theiobject of tie invention is the arrangement of a diving suit orapperatus having an inner shell ordress of metal designed to resist highssure of water, over which dress or Sheil is arranged a. flexible suithaving connected therewith a helmet for receiving air under any desiredpressure, the helmet and the flexible suit being designed to prevent theentrance of water while the metallic dress is designedto resist thepressure 'ofwater.

With these and other objects in view the invention comprises certainnovel constructions, combinations, and arrangement of parts as *will behereinafter more fully described and claimed. a

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side view of an embodimentof the invention, certain parts being shown in section for betterillustrating the structure. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional viewthrough a valve. Fig. 3 is a cross section through the valve shown-inFig. 2. Fig. 4

is a longitudinal sectional view through an inlet valve embodyingcertain feetures of the invention.

In the use of an ordinary diving dress or apparatus the air which ispumped into the helmet is of higher pressure than the water in which thediver is operating as it isneces: sary to overcome the water pressurebefore the vitiated air can escape from the helmet. This necessitatesthebreathing by the diver of more or less high pressure air accordingSpecification of Letters Intent.

Patented June 9, 1914. lien ewed Iovembcr .12, 1913. Serial No. 800,677.

to the depth of water in which he is Workmg. In order to permit thediver to operate in any depth of water desired a pressure reslstinginner suit is provided, the same embodying certain features of theinvention. This inner suit is designedto fit from the shoulders down toand including the feet, and is arranged to entirely cover the diver butis not constructed necessarily water portion of the inner suit is amplespace for movement of the diver in the suit, and also to provide spacefor an amplewolume of air. Arranged over. this suit are one or moreflexible suits, one of which is provided with a helmet constructeds'ullioiently strong to withstand substantially the some pressure whichthe inner suit isde- Y signed to withstand. The helmet and the outersuit revent the entrance of weteir; met and the inner suit resist the.

while the he pressure of water so that air maybe forced into the helmetunder any desired pressure and the vitiated air removed therefrom andexhausted 'at the surface of thewater. When efthird suit is provided thesemis designed principally to be used in floating the diver either tothe surface or to .emy' intermediate point.

In order that the invention may. be more clearly understood anembodiment of the same is shown in the accompanying drawings in whichv 1indicates the inner suit which suit is formed with legportions 2 andbody por tion 3. Connected with body portion 3 are arm portions 4; Theleg and arm portions are formed with -a ball and socket arrangement atthe joints of any desired or preferred form. The body portion 3 is mzidesufficiently large for permitting the diver to move his y therein to aconsiderable extent and to provide space for a considerable volume ofair. Positioned over the metal suit'l is a flexible suit 5 provided witha helmet '6. -The suit5 may be made of canvas and rubber or othermateri'al as may be desired, and may be secured to helmet 6 in anydesired way. Helmet 6 also is preferably of the usual type of helmets,and is arranged to fit over the head and extend down fee a shortdistance over the body 3. The helmet 6 is provided with an outlet tube 7nn tube 8. These tubes are flmngg "E9 mud to the surface of the water sothat tube 8 may receive air from.

, designed to register with apertures 19 of the reciprocatingsleeve 20positioned in casing 17'.- The sleeve 20 is formed with a bottom 21 sothat any air pressure entering casing 17 will also enter the sleeve 20and move the same inward. -'A spring 22 is provided for resisting theinward movement of sleeve 20 so as to require more or less pressure forcausing the apertures 18 and 19 to register.

Thetension of'spring 22 may be controlled and-varied by a set'screwdevice or adjust i'ng member 23 connected to the lower end 24 of thecasing 17. Under ordinary circumstances where a diver is operating atextreme dc ths air is supplied to him under ten or fi teen poundspressure, and spring 22 is therefore set to permit apertures 18 and 19to register under the desired pressure. If the pressure fallsconsiderably below the desired pressure or rises considerably above thesame the registration of the apertures will not take place. This is ofex treme advantage whenever it should become necessary for the diver tocut himself loose, that is, cut the tubes 7 and 8 and 14, so that he maycome to the surface without delay. The valve 9, however, is preferablyof the construction shown in my Patent #650,650 which will freely permitthe exhausting of the vitiated air but will act as a check valve andprevent the entrance of any water in case the tube to which it isconnected is cut. This-is .of advantage in that the valve will not-admitwater into the helmet 6 in case the diver finds it-necessary to severtubes 7 and 8. f Valve 9 is formed with a housing 25 which is preferablythreaded at 26 in order to be secured to tube 7. Housing or sleeve 25 isformed with a plurality of apertures 27 and an annular offset portion28. Arranged within the housing or sleeve 25 isa reciproeating valvemember 29 formed with a plurality of openings 30 designed to registerwith or come opposite apertures 27 when a predetermined amountofvpressure has been brought t3 bear on the inner side of the plug 31which acts as means for closing the end of valve member 29. Connectedwith the lower end of valve member 29 is a reciprocating bearingmembenor sleeve 32 against which presses a spring 33. Spring 33 alsopresses against the annular project1on'28 so that the u ward or inwardmovement of valve mem or 29 is resisted and the valve --member 29 iscaused to assume the position shown in Fig. 2 when not positively movedtherefrom by pressure in hei met 6. By this structure whenever thepressure in helmet 6 is sufiicient valve member 29 will be movedlongitudinally of housing or sleeve member 25 until openings '30willcome opposite or register with openings 27,-

whereupon air may escape from helmet .6

clamping member 11 is provided for firml clamping the wrist of theflexible sheve wit the wrist of the sleeve of arm 4. In this way no partof the body will be subjected to the pressure of 'the water except thehands which will ordinarily withstand a comparatively high pressure. Inaddition to the flexible suit 5 a second flexible suit 12 may beprovided which extends only from the bottom of the helmet down toandincluding the feet. This second'suit is preferably arranged to [it thefeet and legs,

up to the knees reasonably tight, but from the knees up to the bottom ofthe helmet suit 12 is made sufiiciently large or full for providing aspace between the same and flexible suit 5. Suit 12 is formed with anordinary check valve .13 which will permit the exhausting of air outfrom between suits 5 and 12 but will not admit water therein. Alsoconnected'with suit 12 is-a tube 14 having a valve 15 associatedtherewith which will permit the entrance of air between suits 12 and 15.Valve 15 is constructed similar to valve .10 so that the same opens andcloses at each stroke of the piston of the pump. This prevents theentrance of water between suits 5'and 12 in case tube 14 should becomeout or broken as the pressure of water will cause only one movement ofvalve 15 and allow the entrance of only a negligibly smallquantity ofwater. The tubes 7, 8 and 14 are grouped and held together by suitableclamps 16 so that in a certain sense they present only the appearance ofa single tube orrope.

'The helmet 6 may be provided with a telephone of any desired structureif de-' sired and the suit may have connected therewith a signal rope ifthe same should be necessary or desirable. Under ordinary circumstancesthe pressure resisting suit 1 is used and suit 5, which will permit thediver to operate at varying depths down to the limit of resistance ofsuit 5, and helmet 6, which preferably is made to withstand suflicientpressure to permit the diver to operate freely at 200 01'300 feet ofwater. Iffor any reason it should be desired to float the diver to thesurface, or partially to the surface, air may beinserted through tube 14into theflexible'suit 12 to any desired extent for accomplishing thepurpose desired. Any excess of air in suit 12 will,

of course, exhaust out valve 13, which air, of course, must be at ahigher pressure than the water.

In constructing metal suit 1 the same may I be made of solid metal,though preferably it is made of perforated metal for providing acomparatively light pressure resisting armor but one sufliciently strongfor the purpose desired. To additionally lighten the armor the metal maybe composed of aluminum or partially aluminum if desired.

That I claim is:

1. A diving apparatus comprising a pressure resisting suit formed of aplurality of parts fitted together for permitting a substantially freemovement of a person using the suit, a water resisting suit formed witha body of flexible material and a helmet,

an inlet tube for supplying air to said hel-' met, a valve arranged atthe juncture of said inlet tube and said helmet for admitting air intosaid tube under a predetermined pressure, an air escape tube connectedwith said helmet, and a valve arranged at the juncture of said escapetube and said helmet formed so as to permit the air to escape r'rom saidhelmet into said tube to prevent anything from entering into said helmetfromsaid tube.

2. A diving apparatus comprising a presria'l,'and an inlet tube fordirecting air into said second mentioned flexible suit for permitt-ingsaid second mentioned flexible suit to be inflated independent of theinflation of the helmet and first mentioned flexible suit.

3. A diving apparatus comprising a metallic suit arranged to resistpressure of water and formed so as to extend from the neck down to andincluding the feet, a second suit formed of a flexible portion, and adischarge tube for discharging helmet being designed to fit over thehead and part of the first mentioned suit, and said flexible portion tofit over the remaining part of said first mentioned suit, an air supplytube connected with said helmet, an air exhaust tube connected with saidhelmet, a third suit of flexible material extending from said helmet, anair supply tube connected with said third suit, and a check valve forpermitting the excess air pressure in said third mentioned suit toescape. 1

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST NIEHOFF.

* Witnesses:

Ron'r. T. LANG, ASL, KITCHIN.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. Q.

